Fix DVD Region Error 0XC00D1169 in Windows

Quick Answer

Change your DVD drive's region code to match the disc's region, or bypass the check via registry if you're out of changes.

That error code — 0XC00D1169 — means your DVD drive's region setting doesn't match the disc you're trying to play. This happens when you buy a DVD from another region (e.g., a UK disc on a US drive) or when the drive's region is still set to the default (often Region 1) but your disc is Region 2 or 3. The culprit is almost always the region code, not a codec problem or a broken disc.

Why This Happens

DVDs are encoded with a region code — 1 through 6 — to control distribution. Your optical drive has a region setting, and Windows Media Player (and other players like VLC if they use the system's DVD navigator) checks that setting against the disc's region. If they don't match, you get NS_E_DVD_DISC_DECODER_REGION. Drives only let you change the region a limited number of times — usually 5 — before it locks permanently. That's why you need to be careful.

Fix 1: Change the Drive Region

Insert the problematic DVD.
Open Device Manager (Win+X, select Device Manager).
Expand DVD/CD-ROM drives, right-click your drive, choose Properties.
Go to the DVD Region tab. You'll see a map showing the current region.
Select the region that matches the disc. For most discs, it's printed on the back cover or the disc itself (e.g., Region 2 for Europe, Region 1 for US/Canada).
Click OK. If the drive allows the change, you're done.

After changing, try playing the disc again. This fixes the issue in 80% of cases.

Fix 2: Use VLC Media Player (Bypass the Check)

VLC doesn't enforce region codes. It reads the disc without checking the drive's region setting. If you have VLC installed, just open VLC, go to Media > Open Disc, select the DVD, and hit Play. No region error, ever.

If you don't have VLC, grab it from videolan.org. It's free and more reliable for DVD playback than Windows Media Player anyway.

Fix 3: Registry Hack to Reset Region Counter

If you've exhausted your drive's region changes (you'll get a message about it), you can reset the counter via the registry. This works on most SATA drives, but not all — some store the region in firmware, not the registry. Worth a shot.

Close all DVD playback software.
Press Win+R, type regedit, press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\Class\{4D36E965-E325-11CE-BFC1-08002BE10318}\0000 (or 0001, 0002 — depends on your drive's slot).
Look for a value named Region or DVDRegion. If it's there, note it.
Delete the Region value. If it's not there, you're out of luck — try the next numbered subkey.
Reboot. The drive should now show as "unset" and you can change it again.

Be careful with regedit — don't delete anything else. And back up the key first if you're paranoid.

Fix 4: Use a Region-Free Drive or Software

If you frequently play discs from different regions, buy a region-free DVD drive — they're cheap and don't enforce region codes. Alternatively, use AnyDVD HD (paid) to disable region checking system-wide. It's overkill for one disc, but if you're a collector, it's worth it.

Alternative Fixes That Usually Don't Work

Reinstalling codecs — the error isn't a codec issue. Skip it.
Updating Windows Media Player — won't change the region lock.
Changing the system locale — doesn't affect DVD region.

Prevention Tip

Check the disc's region before buying, especially if you order online from another country. And if you have a drive that hasn't been region-set yet, set it to your home region immediately — that way you won't accidentally burn one of your 5 changes on a default setting. Also, consider using VLC for all DVD playback — it sidesteps this whole mess.